Everyone remembers GoDaddy.com's Super Bowl ad: a buxom woman
appeared before a panel in increasing stages of undress. Aghast,
Fox yanked the company's ad before it could be aired a second
time.

As sole owner of the discount domain-name registrar, Bob Parsons
had shelled out the $5 million for the ads from his own wallet, so
naturally, he was sore--at least until 2.6 million people shot to
GoDaddy.com to watch the ad. Sales skyrocketed--from $102 million
in 2004 to more than $200 million projected for 2005. "To grab
consumers' attention, you have to polarize [them]," says
Parsons, 55.

However, he adds that controversy can flop if the consumers so
lured don't get a good deal when they arrive. The Scottsdale,
Arizona, company sells domain names at a rock-bottom $8.95 per
year, and unlimited customer service is free. "The idea is to
make a little money from a lot of people," says Parsons.
"[If] you get a good deal, you don't mind
controversy."

More from Entrepreneur

In as little as seven months, the Entrepreneur Authors program will turn your ideas and expertise into a professionally presented book.